As the saying goes: Live by the sword, die by the sword. Tragically, one of the country’s most famous snake-catching firemen died early this morning after being bitten by a cobra.
Abu Zarin Hussin, based out of the Temerloh branch Fire and Rescue Department, two hours outside of KL, passed away at 12:54am after being send to the Sultan Ahmad Shah Hospital. He had been with the department for over 10 years.
Abu Zarin had been responding to a distress call in nearby Bentong when he was bitten by the snake earlier this week. Doctors were initially hopeful, as he managed to regain consciousness Tuesday, and was alert for a brief period of time.
The victim had been made head of the Pahang’s King Cobra Squad, a division established in 2015 to educate and train firemen in handling the various poisonous snakes in the state. Abu Zarin also organized local education initiatives to keep locals informed as to how to handle the lethal reptiles should they encounter one.
He gained international infamy after British tabloids mistakenly used his image when reporting on the story of a Thai man marrying his snake, believing it to bear a striking resemblance to a past lover (Taylor Swift, is that you?).
Abu Zarin had to issue a public statement explaining that while he kept pet snakes in order to study their behavior, he was not married to any of them, nor did he believe that they looked like anyone he knew.
Well-known throughout the state for his masterful handling, he had been bitten numerous times, having slipped into a coma in 2015, only to awaken, unscathed two days later.
Our condolences to his family, and kudos to his work in helping keep the community safe.
